Showing 1 - 4 of 4
The world beat goes on
Life, John Clewley, Published on 04/01/2023
» This year the entertainment business returned to some form of normality after the hard slog of lockdowns and lack of customers. It was good to see music lovers back at festivals and clubs. And the best festive season present of all was the performance of Ethiopian legend Hailu Mergia and his trio at Studio Lam on Dec 21.
No ordinary wedding singer
Life, John Clewley, Published on 02/03/2021
» In 2016, World Beat featured an album, Bahdeni Nami (MonkeyTown Records, Germany), by the prolific Syrian wedding singer Omar Souleyman.
A whole different sonic vibe
Life, John Clewley, Published on 09/06/2020
» Sega is the traditional and popular music of the island of Mauritius, which sits in the vast Indian Ocean; some call sega the blues of the Indian Ocean but I think of it as the soundtrack to the sea.
Creating a buzz
Life, John Clewley, Published on 19/02/2019
» Some years ago, I reviewed Colin McPhee's marvellous book, A House In Bali, about life and gamelan music (traditional Balinese music -- mainly percussive and driven by metallophones or gongs) in Bali during the 1930s. Published in 1947, the book details how a young man, after hearing some rare gamelan music on old records, journeys to Bali in 1929 to seek the music that will change his life. It is an enchanting book, well worth reading.